In the fast-evolving world of padel, few figures have had as profound an impact as Ben Nichols. A former communications leader at global institutions like the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the Commonwealth Games and what was then the Lotus Renault F1 team, it was in October 2022 that Nichols went “all in” on padel following what must now be regarded as a seminal walk around Dubai Marina at the time of the World Padel Championships. Approaching three years on, there can be little doubt that where Nichols has set foot, he’s made his mark. So, what awaits the ambitious, globetrotting Englishman?
In this recent exclusive interview, Cage 91 Co. Editor Zac Arney discovers.
By Zac Arney
When I first ask Nichols what he thinks of the Mr Padel tag, he responds: “I’ve been called a few things [during this padel industry journey], and yes, Ive heard that one quite a lot… what do I think of it? There could be a lot worse,” he laughs.
“In all seriousness, if someone wants to describe your work or how you fit into an industry with a label, so be it. If I have picked up a tag as Mr Padel, well, hopefully, if nothing else, it means you’re known for committing wholeheartedly to one particular line of work and for sticking to it. Don’t they say that having a niche and doubling down on it in this age of fragmentation and abundant choice is a good thing? I hope so because I’ve gone all in [on the padel industry] now.”
Yet, rewind 30 months, and Nichols was in the throes of a big career decision and a long way short of any such padel synonymity. “If I was known for anything in my career back then, it was as the media guy from WADA…who made a cameo in the movie Icarus!”.
Nichols adds: “Since managing the media fallout at WADA around the Russian Doping crisis – which had been the highlight of my career – I’d had my fair share of setbacks, as we all do at one time or another. A Covid-fuelled company cutback [at the sports marketing firm I had been hired by only six months earlier], a job at leading tech company Sportradar that just wasnt the right fit, and an unexpected redundancy had, in a few short, challenging professional years, made me question what the next career step was. And then, padel came calling. I saw this sport that meshed the two sports I’d been half decent at in my youth – squash and tennis – noticed its potential appeal to all-comers, as well as the volume of interest commercially around the sport. I also had family members saying, you should work in padel, all of which created the perfect recipe for a career in the sport. If I’ve learnt anything [about myself], it’s that I perform at my best when it’s a backs-against-the-wall situation, and I need to summon something bold to turn a challenging situation around.
“Coming to the end of my contract with the LTA (the National Federation for tennis and padel in the UK) in October 2022, and feeling at a career crossroads, I saw an opportunity to create the storytelling arm for padel’s new world markets, and went all in. Cue that walk around Dubai Marina, and, almost three years later, here I am.”
“If I’ve learnt anything [about myself], it’s that I perform at my best when it’s a backs-against-the-wall situation and I have to summon something bold to turn a challenging situation around.”
What attracted Nichols to create Padel 22 wasn’t just the growth potential – it was the blank sheet of paper. While other sports are crowded with legacy structures and long-established voices, padel offered a fresh canvas for creativity, entrepreneurship, and storytelling. So, sensing a shift in the UK and international sporting culture and driven by an entrepreneurial instinct, Nichols saw a rare – “once in a lifetime”, as he puts it – opportunity to carve out a new path for the sport.
Padel 22 – Creating the Storytelling for a “brand-new” industry
He launched Padel 22, a Communications Marketing agency solely on padel, and only padel. At the time, no other padel-specific agencies were dedicated to promotion in the non-Latin markets, giving the Briton a clear first-mover advantage. Nichols mentions his own motivations as a factor behind the launching of his own company, adding that he’s “focused on raising the profile of padel – not specifically on getting more people to play, but on helping people, or more to the point, businesspeople, understand what makes it a truly unique sport and lifestyle”. Since then, Padel 22 has become a cornerstone of the sport’s development, helping brands such as Hexagon Cup, Padel Haus, the Pro Padel League, Playtomic, and Rocket Padel present themselves to new unsuspecting audiences in the “New Padel World” markets (as he calls them) such as the UK, US, South Africa and Saudi Arabia. In fact, you could argue that Padel 22’s impact has been so prolific in the new markets that it has become one of the most well-recognised brands in itself.
Padel 22 has become a cornerstone of sports development, helping brands such as Hexagon Cup, Padel Haus, the Pro Padel League, Playtomic, and Rocket Padel present themselves to new unsuspecting audiences in the “New Padel World” markets.
Club Águilas, Property+Padel and an ever-growing portfolio
Nichols’ involvement in padel has extended far beyond Padel 22, however. His portfolio of initiatives reflects a deep commitment to growing the sport on multiple fronts. Businesses such as Club Águilas (described by a leading London newspaper as Padel’s answer to the Michelin Guide), real estate and padel event series Property+Padel, the Anglo American Cup (padel’s answer to the original Ryder, Davis and Americas Cups as GB competes against the USA in October) and as one of the co-founders of Cage 91, the Briton has seen gaps that could help the sport grow, and partnered with other leaders in their fields to help achieve just that.
As he adds, “I think when you immerse yourself in one sport, you get to know the landscape increasingly well and see where the opportunities are to help enhance the sport, hence new projects such as Property+Padel and Águilas. Whether by accident or design, I’ve found myself with opportunities to get involved in exciting projects, and if I can help in my own small way grow the profile of padel, well, I feel privileged to be involved.”
One apparent thing in speaking to Nichols is that his approach over the past three years in the sport has increasingly been defined by discipline and constant reprioritisation. With so many ventures in motion, he relies on a strong team and structure to keep everything moving forward at pace. “Finding time to move everything forward at the right pace is the hardest part,” he admits. “That’s where having a great team in place, structure, and self-discipline come into their own – you have to cut through the noise and distractions that rear their heads on a weekly basis, to keep focused, and alongside your team, get things done”.
These other business ventures (with Rohit Grewal for Property+Padel, Bill Ullman and Joelle Quinn for the Anglo-American Cup, revered fashion industry professional, Joe Middleton for Club Águilas, and Felix Ljungkvist and Felix Gronqvist for Cage 91) are reaching their various stages of growth and monetisation. However, at the core is a desire to help shape the industry itself – filling the gaps, connecting the right people, and providing a pathway for others to get involved in this “one-off moment in sporting history”, as he puts it.
This is a particularly pertinent point as it relates to the next generation, as it’s clear, speaking to Nichols, that motivating young people to enter the industry is a big driver. “If I can pinpoint one important aspect [to me], it’s getting the next generation of young, talented industry professionals into the sport. I’ve been there as a student, building up work experience, internships, and knocking on doors – and alongside a degree and qualifications, I think it is essential that young people build up portfolios that can make them stand out to companies that have set up stall in padel. This is a news port to so many countries, so we need new ideas from the next-gen to shape it. They are the ones that will shape how padel looks for decades to come,” he adds.
“That’s where structure and self-discipline come in – you have to cut through the noise to get things done”.
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From bureaucratic behemoths to start-up sensations
Drawing on his experiences from larger sporting organisations, Nichols brings a strategic mindset to the table. He understands that “working in established sports taught me what works – and just as importantly, what doesn’t. I’ve brought that strategic mindset into the world of padel.” This ability to filter and apply operational knowledge is one of the key reasons he’s built such effective ventures so quickly. The shift from large-scale operations in the Olympic movement (such as WADA and the Commonwealth Games) to smaller teams in the start-up world of padel is another dynamic skill set he’s built. Nichols stresses the personal dynamism he has achieved after the switch to “this most start-up of sectors”, emphasising that “after working with big, fairly bureaucratic organisations a decade ago, I wanted to find a space where I could build something myself and bring out my inner entrepreneur. Padel offered me that rare mix of opportunity and freedom – a unique cocktail that might only come about once or twice in a lifetime.”
A dynamic sport – harnessing technology
Nichols also recognises that modern sport promotion has shifted, with influencers and content creators playing a much bigger role than in the past. Padel is uniquely suited to this new media landscape – its short, intense rallies, social nature, and visual appeal make it ideal for shareable content. He is keen to depict how padel’s harnessing of these digital opportunities marks it out from other racquet sports. “One big difference is how central influencers and content creators are in padel compared to the traditional sports”, he says. “It’s part of the sport’s DNA now – people love sharing their matches and moments.” He and his Padel 22 team have embraced this reality, helping to position padel as a sport that thrives in the digital era.
In his eyes, one of the sport’s other strengths is its accessibility. Unlike tennis, which can sometimes carry cultural or dress-code baggage, padel is more informal, modern and inclusive. It’s easy to pick up, social by design, and increasingly breaking free from its image as a luxury sport. Nichols describes padel as an “every-person sport”, citing that its ability to be “ easy to learn, and genuinely inclusive” is key in breaking down previously established barriers to play. This openness makes it so attractive to first-time players, a younger, more diverse audience and all manner of brands and businesses.
“One big difference is how central influencers and content creators are in padel compared to the traditional sports… it’s part of the sport’s DNA now.”
Looking to the future – what’s in store for the so-called Mr Padel
If 2024 was a year of four new business ventures to add to his stable, then 2025 is all about consolidation (or that was the plan anyway).
“I started in January this year with the classic resolutions of this is going to be the year of X or Y, and in my case, it was about consolidating what had been built,” he says. “Yes, to some extent, consolidation has been the theme; however, equally, the (sometimes unforeseen) frenetic pace of the business side of the sport has meant new – but necessary – additions to continue to stick to my mantra of helping grow the sport. The business membership community Insider 22 is just one such example – it’s a community that has welcomed in the industry’s best brains and has simply accelerated.”
So, looking to the future, what is Nichols’s focus, given that, in his own words, “we have to cut through the noise and distractions”? Well, it’s clear that he sees Padel 22’s position as “a global hub for storytelling in the sport” as ever more important while continuing to develop the other initiatives he co-created that push the sport forward.
For this American-loving Briton (cue the Anglo American Cup), he sees himself playing a role in promoting the sport and helping to build the broader ecosystem, from clubs and competitions to commercial ventures and industry networks. Yet, the standout thought I have from my interview is that it’s not simply his strategic insight or entrepreneurial drive that’s got Padel 22 and his other businesses where they are within three years, but his clear sense of purpose. A work that is animated by a desire to support others, whether they’re content creators, business founders, athletes coming through the ranks, or students looking for that all-important first rung on the career ladder. The “been there, got through that ” mentality provides so much fuel in Nichols’ fire to help “grow brand padel” in the coming years.
For one of the industry’s self-confessed “can-do” personalities, it is clear that in padel – and padel life – there is still so much more to do.
